The Genius of Brian Fuller

I started watching Dead Like Me with my old boss, in the middle of the first season. I didn't like it at first, then I was bored one day and decided to give it another shot. 5 years later, re-watching season 1, I remember how fucking awesome this show is.
The series follows George Lass, an 18 year old misanthrope who dies after being hit by a flaming toilet seat that fell from a Soviet space station. She joins the ranks of the Undead; no crossing over into the whatever-the-fuck-comes next, but instead becomes a grim reaper. Her new boss is Rube (played by the ever brilliant Mandy Patinkin), who doles out the assignments to her and the rest of their little group. Lost yet? OK. Reapers don't kill anyone, or decide when someone dies, but they are given post-its with names, locations, and times. They subtly take the souls of the soon-to-be-dead, so that the soul can cross over without getting trapped in the body. There's more to it, but you'll have to watch to really get it. This lifestyle's contrasted with George's day job (after all, reaping is a public service and there's no payment involved) at an Office Space-type temp agency, as well as insight into her family's attempts to move on after her untimely death.
It's a black comedy that's filled with poignancy, seriously ironic deaths, and fuckups (these particular reapers are around for murders, accidents, and series of unfortunate events). The characters are intriguing and flawed, and Callum Blue's British hotness is worth sitting through Laura Harris' irritating accent. Brian Fuller (who's responsible for Pushing Daisies, a show I hear is awesome too) was booted off the show partway through the first season for "creative differences," but it's still worth checking out through to the end of the second season. It's cancellation was met with a raw fury from fans a la Arrested Development and Veronica Mars, and apparently there's a straight to DVD movie coming out early next year that was shot here in Montreal. No Mandy means it might just suck, but I'll be watching anyway.